Agitator for washing machines



July 16, 1940.

J. c. NELSON AGII'ATOR FOR WASHING MACHINES Filed Jan. 9.193s 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 "'"T-lllllllln II- III wlmss s Ju y 16, 1949- J. c. uzpsou I 2,208,102 r v AGI'iATOR FOR WASHING MACHINES INvEnTn ATTnRnEY Patented July 16, 1940 AGITATOR FOR WASHING MACHINES Jabez Curry Nelson, Syracuse, N. Y., Easy Washing Machine Corporatio N. Y., a corporation of Delaware assignor to Syracuse,

Application January 9.193s, Serial No. 52,393

7 Claims. (CI. 68-54) My invention relates to washing machines and, more particular y, to a novel agitator or dolly nately raising and depressing the body of clothes in the vat.

- Another object of my invention is the provision of an agitator adapted to be oscillatably mounted in a vat containing clothes and washing fluid, the agitator including means for alternately raising and depressing the body of clothes in the vat and, during such raising and depressing operation, subjecting the fabrics, to a scrubbing and thread-deforming action. 1

My invention further contemplates the provi-= sion 'of an oscillatable agitator adapted to be mounted in a vat containing clothes and washing fluid, the agitator having means for alternately raising and depressing the fabrics, subjecting them to a scrubbing action and causing the clothes and washing fluid to circulate in one resultant circulatory direction around the vat, whereby the clothes periodically change their relative positions and the entire body of the clothes, at some time during the washing cycle,.

is subjected to the scrubbing and thread-deforming action of the agitator. v

More specifically, my invention contemplates the provision of an agitator for a washing machine having a substantially flat plate of relatively large area mounted at an angle to the horizontal which, when the agitator is oscillated,

causes the clothes to be alternatelyraised and depressed, said agitator also being provided with. a plurality of scrubbing ribs adapted to exerta substantial thread-deforming action on, the clothes and also adapted to cause the clothes to circulate predominantly in one direction around the vat. l l

Other objects and advantages of. my invention will be more apparent from the following description when taken in connection'with the 9.0-

companying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a view of the agitator of my invention and indicating the vet in which it is oscillated.

Figure 2 is a view taken on the line 2-2 of Fi ure 1.

Figure 3 is a view taken on the line 3-1 of F gure l.

Figure 4 is a view of a modified form of the agitator shown in Figures 1 1:03, inclusive.

- numeral l 2, is

Figure 5 is a view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 15.8, view Figure 4.

Figure '7 is a view taken on the line 1-4 of Figure 4.

The agitator of my invention is adapted to be mounted in a vat or tub I] in which the clothes and washing fluid are placed. The washing vat may be of any desired shape, either square or, as shown in the drawings, circular in cross section. The agitator, generally indicated by the preferably mounted centrally of the vat H and is driven by a shaft extending upwardly through the bottom of the vat. Suitable means are provided for supporting the agitator and enabling it to be driven by the shaft 83. Such means include a sleeve ii which extends upward through the bottom of the vat concentric with the shaft l3. The preferred mantaken on the line 6-4 or agitator through an arc of 180 degrees, more or less. and at a speed of between fifty and sixty ,oscillations per minute.

The agitator I 2 comprises a base I! which is mounted close to the bottom of the vat and has an upwardly sloping surface I! and a horizontal top surface IS. The base of the agitator, thus formed, is substantially a frustum of a cone. Preferably, integral with and extending upward from the base, to or above the normal surface level of cleansing fluid, is a hub or central post 2| -which is'preferably substantiallycylindrlcal in shape. Near the top of the central post and marking the approximate normal surface level of cleansing fluid is a substantially circular plate 22 which is preferably somewhat smaller in diameter than the base. The plate 22 may be formed integral with the central postand the base. A cap 23, of any desired shape, is mounted on the top of the central post in any suitable manner and has its lower outer circumference 24 substantially coinciding with the circumference of the plate On the base ii, are mounted a plurality of, in this instance five ribs or vanes 28, as shown more clearly in Figure 3. The vanes 26 are preferably rather small and rise only a short distance above the base upon which they are mounted. Their primary function is to exert a scrubbin and thread-deforming action upon the clothes when the. agitator is oscillated. The vanes 2t extend outward from the center post 2!, on the horizontal portion it of the base, in a smooth curve around the center post, and then curve downwardly on to the sloping portion it of the base andthence outward to the circumference thereof. There are thus formed upon the base if; a plurality of vanes substantially spiral in appearance. Beneath the plate 22 are formed a plurality of vanes or scrubbing ribs 2'? which are similar in size, shape and direction of extension and curvature to the vanes 25, that is, the plate 22 is provided with preferably live vanes 2? which spiral out from the center post it and curve in the same direction around the center post as the vanes 26.

Formed integral with the center post 2! and preferably mounted at approximately its midpoint is a plate 28. The plate 28 is, preferably, made substantially circular in shape and is slightly smaller in diameter than the base il'. Also preferably, the central axis of the plate 28 substantially coincides with the central .axis of the agitator except that the axis of the plate 28 is tipped from the vertical so that the plane of the plate is at an angle of approxima ely thirty degrees to the horizontal, as shown in the drawings. Mounted both on the top and on the bottom surfaces of the plate 2% are a plurality of, preferably five, vanes or scrubbing ribs 3! and 32 which are similar to the scrubbing vanes 2t and 27. These scrubbing vanes, as

shown more clearly in Figure 2, also extend outward from the center post 28 and extend spirally on the upper and lower surfaces of the plate 2t. When the agitator is oscillated at a speed and amplitude of oscillation as above indicated and with the level of the cleansing fluid approximately at the level of the plate 22, the clothes are alternately raised and depressed on two sides of the vat. For example, considering only that part of the plate 28 which lies forwardly of a diameter drawn from the point 33 to the point 35. When the agitator rotates in a counterclockwise direction, the upper surface of this half of the plate acts as an inclined plane which passes in under theclothes above the plate and raises the body of clothes upwardly in the vat. When the agitator is reversed, the under surface of the plate 28 moves through the clothes and depresses the clothes beneath the plate. The same alternate raising and depressing simultaneously occurs on the other side of the vat caused by the movement of the other half of the plate 28 through the body of clothes.

Accompaniedby this upward and-downward movement of the c othes, the vanes 3| and 32 move through the clothes and exert a substantial scrubbing and thread-deforming action thereon which materially aids in cleansing the clothes. Similarly, the vanes 28 and 21 exert a scrubbing action on the clothes which come in contact therewith. In order to prevent the various articles of clothing from remaining in substantially the same relative position in the vat and to insure that each article of clothing is at some time-during the washing operation subiected to the scrubbing action of the vanes 26,

2?, 3i and 32 and to the raising and depressing action of the plate 2%, each of the vanes is curved with respect to the center post 28 spirally on the surface of the base ii, the plate 22 and the plate 28 in the same direction, that is, clockwise. The vanes are shaped so that they exert a greater thrust'on the clothes and washing fluid when the agitator is rotating in the clockwise direction than when it is rotating in the counterclockwise direction. For example, the direction of curvature of the blades is such, as illustrated in Figure 2, that the leading surface 3?, when the agitator is rotating in a clockwise direction, exerts a greater thrust on the clothes and washing iiuid than the following surface 3% when the agitator is reversed. The resultant action is to cause the clothes and washing fluid to circulate around the vat in a clockwise direction. Thus, the vanes 2d, 2i, 8! and 32 serve not only the function of exerting a scrubbing action on the clothes, but also serve to cause the various articles of clothing to change their relative positions in the vat whereby, at some time during the washing cycle, each articleof clothing is brought into contact with the agitator.

In Figures 4 to 'i, inclusive, I have shown a modified form of the agitator illustrated in Figures l to 3, inclusive, whereinthe base 39 is substantially horizontal with the central cylindrical post ti extending upwardly therefrom. The plate 22, together with its scrubbing ribs 21 and the cap 23, are omitted from this form of the invention. The plate d2, similar to the plate 28 of Figure 1, extends at an angle to the horizontal. The plate 32, in this instance, is substantially square although having the corners d3 thereof slightly rounded. A rim l i extends around the periphery of the plate 12 and is slightly wider than the thickness of the plate so as to provide a ledge 65 and 35' extending completely around both the upper and lower surfaces of the plate. Bridging the space between the uppermost corner 63' of the top surface of the plate and the center post is a member 66 of the plate 62 and the base and formed integral with the center post it are a pair of blades 31K and dd. The blades ll and t8 are substantially vertical and extend tangentially from the outer post. They are, preferably, mounted so that they are angularly spaced from each other at less than a right angle. Theblades l'l and 38 extend outward substantially to the circumference of the base 89 where they are curved, as at 19, in a clockwise direction on substantially the arc of curvature of the base thus forming hook-shaped portions hi. The outer vertical edges of the hook-shaped portions M are beaded, as indicated at 52, so as to prevent formation of sharp edges likely to tear the clothes.

When the agitator of this modification is oscillated, the plate 42 acts substantially the same as the plate 29 of Figures 1 to 3, inclusive, serving to alternately raise and depress the fabrics.

' While I have shown this agitator without scrubclothes and washing fluid and cause rotation of the contents of the vat in that direction. When the agitator is reversed, thrust is exerted by the surfaces 53 of the blades but the action is somewhat less violent due to the fact that the hooked portions of the blades have little or no effect when the agitator is rotating in the counterclockwise direction. The hooking of the blades, there fore, causes a slight resultant movement of the clothes and washing fluid in a clockwise direction around the vat and insures that, at periodical intervals, the various articles of clothing will change their relative positions in the vat so that new clothes surfaces are constantly being presented to the action of the agitator.

-While I have shown the preferred forms of my invention, it will be apparent that various modifications and changes may be made in the form and relation of the parts of the agitators without departing from the spirit of the appended claims. I

I claim: I

1. An agitator adapted to be mounted for oscillation in a vat containing clothes and washing fluid, said agitator having a central post extending substantially from the bottom of the vat to the normal surface level of cleansing fluid and constituting an axis of oscillation for the agitator and having a substantially flat plate mounted on the central post at approximately the midpoint of the post, said plate being of substantial.

area and being mounted at an angle to the horizontal whereby when the agitator is oscillated the clothes are alternately raised and depressed, and said plate having a plurality of scrubbing ribs mounted thereon, each of said scrubbing ribs being curved on the surface of the plate in the same direction. 1 2. An agitator adapted to be mounted for oscil lation in a vat containing clothes and washing fluid, said agitator having a central post constituting an axis of oscillation for-the agitator and having a substantially flat plate mounted on said central post at approximately its mid-point,

. a base for the agitator mounted close to the bottom of the vat, and means integral with the agitator configurated so as to circulate the clothes in one resultant circulatory direction when the agitator is oscillated.

3. An agitator adapted to be mounted for oscillation in a vat containing clothes and washing fluid, said agitator having a base mounted in close proximity to the bottom of the vat, a central post extending upwardly from said base to substantially the normal surface level of cleansing fluid, an agitating element mounted on said central postat approximately half the normal depth of cleansing fluid, said agitating element being of substantial area and being mounted at an angle to the horizontal whereby when the agitator is oscillated the clothes are alternately raised and depressed, said base and agitating element being substantially smaller in diameter than the diameter of the vat whereby to form a space around the agitator for receiving and circulating the clothes, and means integral withthe agitator and conflgurated so as to circulate the clothes and washing fluid in one resultant circulatory direction around the vat.

4. An agitator adapted to be mounted for oscilfluid, said agitator having a base mounted adjacent the bottom of the vat, a central post extending upward from the base, a top plate mounted on said post at substantially the normal surface of cleansing fluid, a central plate mounted substantially midway of said post, said central plate being mounted at an angle to the horizontal, and scrubbing ribs mounted on the top surface of said base, the under side of said top plate and on both sides of'said central plate.

6. An agitator adapted to be mounted for oscillation in a vat containing clothes and washing fluid, said agitator having a base mounted adjacent the'bottom of the vat, a central post-extending upward from the base, a plate mounted substantially midway of the post, said plate being mounted at an angle to the horizontal, said base and agitating element being substantially smaller in diameter than the diameter of the vat whereby to form a space around the agitator for receiving and circulating the clothes, and a plurality of blades extending between said base and said plate.

7. An agitator adapted to be mounted for oscillation in a vat containing clothes and washing fluid, said agitator having a base mounted adjacent the bottom of the vat, a central post ex- JABEZ CURRY NELSON. 

